But there is a bright day coming, when Jehovah-Messiah shall rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in His people. The prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi, are full of the most glowing and soul-stirring allusions to that bright and blissful day. To quote the passages would literally fill a volume. But if the reader will turn to the closing section of Isaiah’s prophecy, he will find a sample of that to which we refer, and he will find many similar passages throughout the various books of the prophets. We must not attempt to quote, but we would warn the reader against the danger of being led astray by the uninspired headings attached to those magnificent passages which refer to Israel’s future, such, for example, as “The blessings of the gospel”—“The enlargement of the Church.” These expressions are calculated to mislead many pious readers, who are apt to take for granted that the headings are as much inspired as the text; or, if not inspired, that they at least contain a correct statement of what the text sets forth. The fact is, there is not a syllable about the Church from beginning to end of the prophets. That the Church can find most precious instruction, light, comfort, and edification from this grand division of the inspired volume is blessedly true; but she will do this just in proportion as she is enabled, by the Spirit’s teaching, to discern the real scope and object of this portion of the book of God. To suppose for a moment that we can only derive comfort and profit from that which exclusively or primarily refers to ourselves, would be to take a very narrow, if not an egotistical, view of things. Can we not learn from the book of Leviticus? and yet who would assert that that section refers to the Church? No, reader; you may rest assured that a calm, unprejudiced, prayerful study of “the law and the prophets” will convince you that the great theme of both the one and the other is, God’s government of the world in immediate connection with Israel. True it is that throughout “Moses and all the prophets” there are things concerning (the Lord) Himself. This is plain, from Luke xxiv. 27; but it is “Himself” in His government of this world and of Israel in particular. If this fact be not distinctly seized, we shall study the Old Testament with little intelligence or profit.